How to use the online timer
Five minutes is soft-boiled territory, the egg for an egg cup and soldiers. The white sets just firmly enough to hold its shape when the top comes off, while the yolk stays properly liquid underneath. Any less and the white around the yolk stays translucent and slippery; any more and the yolk starts to thicken into something you can no longer dip into. As with any boiled egg, the clock starts once the water is bubbling, not before.
The margin here is narrower than at any other setting, so size counts. A large egg straight from the fridge may still be cool in the middle at five minutes, while a small one edges towards set. Cooking several for a family breakfast works better when they are all roughly the same size, otherwise somebody ends up with a yolk nobody ordered. Older eggs, incidentally, sit flatter in the pan and are slightly harder to centre in the cup.
Have the toast cut into strips and the egg cups ready before the timer finishes, because a soft egg keeps cooking under its own residual heat once it is out of the pan. Crack the top with the back of a teaspoon rather than sawing at it, season lightly, and eat it straight away.
Common questions
The white is still slippery around the yolk. What went wrong?
Five minutes is at the short end, and a large fridge-cold egg needs a little longer to set the inner white. Add twenty to thirty seconds and keep egg sizes consistent.
Can I cook several soft-boiled eggs at once?
Yes, but use a pan wide enough for them to sit in one layer and let the water return to the boil before trusting the count. A crowded pan cools the water and the eggs cook unevenly.
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